Year: 2018 Newlife News
SEAT NEEDED TO END LEIA’S CHOKE THREAT
Imagine you have just come out of hospital – all you want is to be at home, comfortable and relaxed so you can recuperate, but the only seat you have is a dining chair! This is how Catriona Lewis described life for her eight-year-old daughter, Leia Morgan, after she had spent three weeks in intens...
read storySOUTHAMPTON MUM PETRIFIED FOR DISABLED DAUGHTER
Mum of a Southampton three-year-old with an undiagnosed syndrome spends every night in fear her daughter is going to seriously injure herself. Holly Bryan’s condition means she repeatedly bangs her head and feet against the sides of her cot throughout the night, leaving her mum both petrified and ...
read storyUNLAWFUL BANS USED BY 83% OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Every time Rachael Smith took her two-year-old son, James, out in the car she knew that there was a risk – but she had no choice. James is blind, has global development delay and epilepsy that can’t be managed with medication. He can have up to 20 seizures a day so Rachael knows that whenever sh...
read storyCHRISTMAS ON BROADWAY
An evening of festive fun at Broadway Pharmacy in Preston raised an amazing £625 for Newlife to help local children with disabilities or terminal illness. The event in early December came after The Lancashire Post reported how six-year-old Luca Gardiner’s life had been transformed by a wheelchair...
read storyURGENT ACTION NEEDED TO END EQUIPMENT CRISIS
Seven-year-old Dexter Harman has Autism and ADHD – his development is delayed and his isn’t able to speak. He wakes four times a night – sometimes he doesn’t go back to sleep once he has woken – other times he doesn’t sleep at all, staying awake all night. Dexter is unable to understand ...
read storyURGENT ACTION NEEDED TO END EQUIPMENT CRISIS
Tamsin and Nick Sapwell have five children, university student Thomas, 14-year-old Molly, 10-year-old Rose and three-year-old Florence who shares a bedroom with her two-year-old brother Benjamin. About a year ago, Tamsin and Nick began to suspect that there was something seriously wrong with their l...
read storyCHILDREN IN CRISIS CAN’T GET SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT QUICKLY ENOUGH
Some situations require specialist equipment in an emergency – when a child’s condition and associated behaviours put their lives at risk of serious injury or death. Despite most local health and social care services having jointly commissioned integrated equipment stores to cater for the emerg...
read storyCHARITY PARTNERSHIP WITH GOLF CLUB RAISES £2,500
Ingestre Golf Club in Staffordshire has fundraising for Newlife down to a tee – raising £2,500. Mel Jones President and Kate Robson Lady President of Ingestre Golf Club, Staffordshire, selected Newlife as their chosen charity for 2018/19 because they were inspired to help disabled children in the...
read storyURGENT ACTION NEEDED TO END EQUIPMENT CRISIS
Five-year-old Arran Breslin was forced to sleep in his buggy because NHS Greater Glasgow couldn’t provide him with a specialist bed to keep him safe. Arran has no awareness of danger and can’t be left alone even for a minute. He is frequently awake from midnight to 5am each night under the wa...
read storyCOFFEE MORNING SUCCESS
Huge thanks to John and Jane Bowhay and friends from Sale in Great Manchester, who raised a fantastic £2,000 from their Annual Coffee Morning for Newlife Charity in July. This helps local children in need receive vital specialist equipment to ease pain and fulfil their potential in life. ...
read storyFAMILY RIPPED APART WITHOUT DISABILITY EQUIPMENT
A Lincoln family is being ripped apart because a divorced dad has been denied the specialist equipment that would enable his disabled son to stay with him all because of a draconian health and social care policy. Dane Rose, aged 17, has Cerebral Palsy affecting both his arms and legs, so he can’t ...
read storyURGENT CALL TO HELP DISABLED CHILDREN
A disabled children’s charity is urgently calling on individuals, groups and businesses in Lancashire to raise desperately needed money to help children in the region deprived of life changing specialist equipment. Newlife is the UK’s largest charity providing specialist equipment to disabled an...
read storyEMERGENCY LOAN BUGGY HELPS SAVE ALISHA’S LIFE
When Knowlsey NHS couldn’t give a one-year-old with brain cancer a specialist buggy, she faced missing out on life-saving Proton Beam Therapy abroad – until Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children came to the rescue. Alisha Riley’s desperate parents Zoe and Carl, from Merseyside, couldn’t ...
read storyCHARITY MAKES URGENT APPEAL TO HELP DISABLED 7-YEAR-OLD
Seven-year-old Rhys Thomas, from Albrighton, can have up to 60 seizures a day. Without medication the figure is closer to 150. He has the developmental age of a nine-month-old; each seizure affects his brain, resetting it so he forgets anything he has learned, even whether he’s eaten lunch. Every ...
read storyAggreko staff sparkle for disabled children
Staff at Aggreko’s Cannock office have raised over £600 towards Newlife’s Play Therapy Pod service. Aggreko’s fantastic fundraising will help children and families play together, which contributes to children’s physical, social and cognitive development. In the final week of September Aggre...
read storyRESPITE BED JOY FOR HARRY
A Sheffield nine-year-old who is completely dependent on his exhausted mum for his every need is finally joining his twin brother and younger sister for sleepovers at their grandparents – thanks to a specialist travel bed provided by donations from River Island and members of the local community. ...
read storyFUNDING MISERY FOR DISABLED GIRL
A severely disabled three-year old has developed spinal issues because Hertfordshire health and social care services refused to fund the only seat suitable for her. Florence Freeman from Hertford has severe Cerebral Palsy so she can’t walk, sit up or support her own head. Her muscles spasm uncontr...
read storyMUM’S PLEA FOR MIRACLE GIRL WITH NO BRAIN
A ‘miracle’ five-year-old born without a brain is at risk of choking to death because the only bed the NHS offered was too big to fit in her house. Lily Wetherall has a brain stem, but her brain cavity is filled with fluid. She has up to 20 seizures a day, often triggered by the very slightest n...
read storySemmco sizzle for Newlife
The fantastic staff at Semmco Ltd have raised an amazing £578 so far this year for Newlife. Every penny will be spent on providing vital equipment to change children’s lives in Surrey, where Semmco are based. The staff have had fun through the summer with a charity BBQ, a pizza day and a karting ...
read storyURGENT ACTION NEEDED TO END EQUIPMENT CRISIS
One-year-old Asher Watkin has two rare life threatening genetic conditions, one is so rare it affects only one in four million people. In his short life, he has already had to endure Medullary Thyroid Cancer which resulted in him having to have his thyroid gland removed. He suffers from regular ches...
read storyDESPERATE BED PLEA FOR DISABLED SON
The only time six-year-old Jacob Walker has ever been able to stay away from home overnight is when he’s admitted to hospital with life-threatening seizures. Having epilepsy and significant brain damage means Jacob uses a specialist bed at his Ballymoney home. The high sides are padded to prevent ...
read storyURGENT CALL TO HELP MERSEYSIDE’S DISABLED CHILDREN
A disabled children’s charity is urgently calling on individuals, groups and businesses in Merseyside to raise desperately needed money to help children in the region deprived of life changing specialist equipment. Newlife is the UK’s largest charity providing specialist equipment to disabled an...
read storyMANCHESTER FUNDRAISERS NEEDED TO HELP DISABLED CHILDREN
A disabled children’s charity is urgently calling on individuals, groups and businesses in Manchester to raise desperately needed money to help children in the region deprived of life changing specialist equipment. Newlife is the UK’s largest charity providing specialist equipment to disabled an...
read storyINTREPID CYCLISTS RAISING FUNDS FOR DISABLED KIDS
Jake Johnson from Sheffield has always wanted to cycle around the world. Now he’s about to turn that dream into a reality to raise money for Newlife The Charity for Disabled Children – a cause close to his heart. Jake, aged 22, and his friend, Pierre Subtil, 23, from Uzes, France, will be sett...
read storyNHS POLICY PUTS DISABLED GIRLS LIFE AT RISK
Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children has launched a new fundraiser in conjunction with independent businesses to help support disabled children and their families across the UK, featuring some of the best hand-made creations. One lucky winner will receive a collection of amazing hand-made produ...
read storyCHARITY LIFELINE FOR TERMINALLY ILL BABY
A disabled children’s charity stepped in to help a terminally ill ten-month-old when Nottinghamshire health and social care’s red tape meant they couldn’t act quickly enough. Courtney Hutchinson from West Bridgford has the rarest form of muscular dystrophy called Walker-Warburg Syndrome. The p...
read storyNEWLIFE PROVIDES A LIFELINE FOR FAMILY FAILED BY NHS
A desperate mum who wakes up to ten times a night to stop her two-year-old son with Autism seriously injuring himself, has praised a disabled children’s charity for the emergency loan of a specialist bed after Stoke and Staffordshire NHS said they couldn’t help. As a result of his condition, Art...
read storyCHARITY STEPS IN TO END TJ’S NIGHT TIME TRAUMA
Less than 12 months ago, Melissa Wiseman’s son TJ, was diagnosed with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, an extremely rare condition affecting only four in one million people. Despite trying to get her head around what this means for her son – she’s having to battle with the local health authority to get ...
read storyHEARTBREAK OF BEDRIDDEN DISABLED GIRL
Twelve-year-old Jessica Collins has a life-limiting condition which means she is in constant agony, bedridden and isolated from the rest of her family. Jessica from Chelmsley Wood has Muscular Dystrophy which affects every single muscle in her body. She’s unable to control her own head, stand or s...
read storyBAILEY FACES PAINFUL OP WITHOUT STANDING FRAME
Three-year-old Bailey Jennings will urgently need painful hip surgery without a specialist standing frame to stretch out his muscles. Bailey, from Heald Green in Cheadle, has Cerebral Palsy which affects the muscles of both legs and his right hand. He can’t sit up, crawl or stand. Bailey’s healt...
read storySPECIAL BUGGY HELPS AJ LEAVE HOSPITAL
A severely disabled one-year-old has been able to leave hospital for the first time in eight months to spend a few precious hours at home, thanks to the emergency loan of a specialist buggy from a disabled children’s charity. AJ, from Congleton, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1, a life-limiting ...
read storyBED BRINGS OLIVER BACK FROM THE BRINK
A specialist bed from Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children has brought a seven-year-old Autistic boy from Billericay and his family back from the brink of absolute exhaustion. Oliver Stiles has severe Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder and learning disabilities. He’s on the move constantly...
read storyNHS POLICY LEAVES BLIND GIRL HOUSEBOUND
The mum of a blind eight-year-old whose NHS wheelchair flipped over and crashed into the road was left too terrified to continue to take her outside. Lexi Tattal from Muswell Hill was given the wheelchair she could control herself to boost her independence at school. But as she is registered blind a...
read storyCharity runners in london raise £4,000 for disabled kids
Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children is celebrating 30 years of helping disabled children and their families across the UK – and the charity is inviting everyone to celebrate with them! On March 13 a special celebration event will be live streamed on Facebook and YouTube, between 5.30pm and 7...
read storyBRIGGS EQUIPMENT RAISES £60,000 FOR NEWLIFE
A record breaking partnership between Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children and materials handling supplier Briggs Equipment has raised £60,000 and helped 135 disabled children across the UK. A staff vote at Briggs Equipment saw 30 per cent choose Newlife for their Charity of the Year, with emp...
read storyROWAN SHOWN THE WAY THROUGH PLAY
Rowan Mills is just 10-months-old – and he hasn’t had the easiest start to life. Rowan was born 10 weeks prematurely and as a result has Cerebral Palsy, chronic lung disease and developmental delay. Until recently, Rowan has had little interest in toys and play – but that all changed when he w...
read storyChif’s Challenge
On Saturday June 9, 2018, almost 50 walkers set off from Buckinghamshire village Holmer Green on a 26 mile marathon walk to Windsor Castle to raise vital funds for Newlife. Almost £12,500 has now been raised through the challenge, smashing the original target. Every penny will be spent on providing...
read storyNIGHTMARE FOR CHOKING TODDLER AND MUM
Andover mum Hayley Kirby-Bulner found her toddler son choking and gasping for air with a splinter from his cot stuck in his throat. Twenty-two-month-old Leon has autism. Like any other toddler he is full of energy, constantly getting into things he shouldn’t. One of the effects of his condition is...
read storySUFFOCATION RISK FOR FREDI
Nine-year-old Fredi Lusha, from Windsor, is at risk of suffocating himself every time he goes to bed. Fredi has severe Autism and ADHD. At night he wraps himself in his duvet and wedges himself between the bed and wall, or sandwiches himself between the bed base and mattress, just to feel the sensor...
read storyCAI’S KRISPY KREME CASH TO HELP DISABLED CHILDREN
Twelve-year-old Cai Evans from Dartford in Kent has stepped up to become a ‘local hero’ for the children’s disability charity that has provided his sister with vital equipment. Cai – a Year Seven pupil at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Crayford Academy – wanted to help Newlife Foundation for Dis...
read storyFINAL BLOW FOR FAMILY OF DISABLED BOY
Twelve-year-old Thomas Hughes from Henley-on-Thames has Autism, a condition that causes him to have violent outbursts so extreme that he detached his own retina, blinding himself in one eye after repeatedly punching himself in the face. When his parents, Aneta and Nick, got in touch with Oxfordshire...
read storyRESPITE BED CRISIS FOR BEWDLEY FAMILY
Seven-year-old Charlie Moore has severe Autism, ADHD and can only say a few words. One of the effects of his condition is he feels the desire to hit his head repeatedly against any hard surface – to such an extent that he’s burst a blood vessel in his face, leaving him with two black eyes. But...
read storyBEDTIME NIGHTMARE FOR ROWAN
Every time three-year-old Rowan Crockford goes to bed he’s in serious danger. Rowan from Swanley in Kent has Cerebral Palsy. He can’t walk, has poor eyesight, epilepsy and no concept of danger so frequently throws himself over the sides of his cot or gets his arms and legs stuck in the bars. D...
read storyTHE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE
Sunday 22 April 2018 was a significant day in Jess Wellington’s life. Not only did she run her first ever marathon but she also got engaged on the finish line! Jess has been a star fundraiser for Newlife over the last 18 months, beginning with securing a 12-month fundraising partnership between N...
read storyTAKING TO THE SKIES FOR CHARITY
Annoula Wilby and eight brave friends took their fundraising to new heights with a spectacular skydive from Tilstock airport on May 5, all in aid of raising vital funds for disabled children. The event was a huge success, with everyone who took part determined to help raise funds for Newlife. Annou...
read storyFUNDRAISING WARRIORS
Staff from Jiraffe and Jenx Ltd took part in the Yorkshire Warrior mud and obstacle race in April to raise vital funds for Newlife. A team of 18 staff, dressed in matching dual-branded Jenx and Newlife T-shirts, took on the challenge as part of their charity partnership with Newlife. The company is ...
read storyEARLY YEARS DISABLED CHILDREN NEED OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY
A Newry mum who says “more needs to be done to support early year’s disabled children,” has been amazed at the difference specialist toys have made to her three-year-old daughter. Patrycja Teszbir’s daughter Abigail Marshall, has a rare genetic disorder that affects her development – she i...
read storyFAMILY IN CRISIS SAVED BY CHARITY’S RAPID RESPONSE
A little boy who has complex disabilities is in dire need of a new specialist buggy so he can leave the house safely and without being at risk of hurting himself. Mason Parker is relying on the support of the community to help raise the £359 needed to fund the equipment that will drastically improv...
read storyAUSTIN NEEDS YOUR HELP
12-year-old Austin Atkinson from Wakefield has a very rare type of Muscular Dystrophy that effects anything he does that requires an element of strength. Although he can take a few steps using a walking frame, Austin relies on his wheelchair to get about – without it he wouldn’t be able to do so...
read storyHOUSEBOUND HENRY FREE THANKS TO CHARITY
Four-year-old Henry from Southampton is no longer housebound thanks to Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children who have given him a specialist buggy. For Henry the world is an overwhelming place – loud noises, bright lights, big crowds and busy roads are too much for him to cope with. He gets ve...
read storyMAISIE FACING SURGERY WITHOUT THE RIGHT SEAT
A chair provided by Knowsley Council for a four-year-old with Cerebral Palsy is too painful for her to use. Without a suitable alternative her spine is curving out of shape, leaving her facing surgery to straighten it with metal rods. Maisie Reynolds’ arms and legs are affected by Cerebral Palsy a...
read storyCHARITY RAPID RESPONSE SAVES LEVI
The rapid response of Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children in providing a disabled three-year-old with a specialist bed has saved him from a serious head injury. Samantha Jestico was suddenly woken one morning to her son, Levi, screaming because he’d fallen out of his cot and landed on his he...
read storyHEROES NEEDED TO HELP TOBY
Four-year-old Toby Ratcliffe has Cerebral Palsy to such an extent all he can do for himself is roll over. Toby from Salford can’t sit, crawl, stand or walk. He loves for his mum to hold him up to dance. Now growing too big for her to do this, he just sits in his wheelchair all day. A specialist wa...
read storyRESPITE RISK FOR FIVE-YEAR-OLD ISLA
It’s too dangerous for Horfield five-year-old Isla McGuiness to go to vital respite care as she simply has nowhere safe to sleep. Isla can’t walk or talk and has no awareness of danger, so caring for her can be exhausting, especially as machines beep overnight as she’s fed through a tube. At h...
read storyCHARITY STEPS IN TO SAVE THREE-YEAR-OLD FROM SERIOUS INJURY
Three-year-old Dylan Blundell from Bamber Bridge near Preston bangs his head so hard he’s got a permanent lump. Dylan has a genetic condition, can’t speak and because he has a high pain threshold he doesn’t even cry out. Dad Jonathan said: “Dylan can wake up to 20 times a night and bang his ...
read story*STOP PRESS* MUM’S TERROR FOR AUTISTIC SON WITH NO FEAR
The mum of a four-year-old boy with Autism is petrified of discovering her son critically injured when she wakes each morning, despite turning their home into a fortress with locks and alarms. Elijah Riley has absolutely no awareness of danger – a direct effect of his condition – and he wake...
read storyDISABLED GIRLS SAFE – THANKS TO CHARITY’S RAPID RESPONSE
The rapid response of a charity means two disabled Rotherham girls can now sleep without being hurt. Poppy Shepard, aged seven, and Lexi Withington, aged four, each received a specialist bed from Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children who operate an Emergency Equipment Loan service – the only o...
read storyWARWICK STUDENT’S JAILBREAK FOR DISABLED CHILDREN
Warwick University students fled across the UK and Europe as they took part in a ‘jailbreak’ to help disabled and terminally ill children. The annual Jailbreak event held by Warwick University students on February 10-11 as part of RAG Week raised more than £5,500 for Newlife the Charity for Dis...
read storyTHE CHILDREN OF LONDON NEED YOUR HELP
There are one million disabled children in the UK and every day they are let down and failed by a system that can’t provide for them! Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children is trying to raise money so it can provide 44 children in London with the specialist equipment they urgently need. Newlif...
read storyTHE CHILDREN OF ESSEX NEED YOUR HELP
There are one million disabled children in the UK and every day they are let down and failed by a system that can’t provide for them! Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children is trying to raise money so it can provide 17 children in Essex with the specialist equipment they urgently need. Newlife...
read storyCHILDREN IN DERBYSHIRE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP
Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children is urging local people to join forces to raise money so 14 children across Derbyshire get the disability equipment they desperately need. Newlife needs to raise £13,725 to provide all 14 children with equipment they urgently need to reduce pain, prevent t...
read storyLEICESTERSHIRE’S CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP
Newlife, the Charity for Disabled Children is urging local heroes to come forward to raise money for 19 disabled and terminally ill children in Leicestershire who desperately need specialist disability equipment. Newlife needs to raise £16,203 to provide all 19 children with equipment they urgently...
read storyLANCASHIRE KIDS IN DESPERATE NEED OF DISABILITY EQUIPMENT
Disabled nine-year-old Timothy Dickson has taken the final lap of his spacewalk, completing his mission to raise funds for Newlife the charity for disabled and terminally ill children, raising over £1,800! Timothy, from Tuxford in Nottinghamshire, has Autism and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which affect...
read storyTROJAN’S ANNUAL BASH TO CHANGE LIVES
A massive thank you to Trojan Group for kindly donating £500 from the proceeds of their Sixth Anniversary Bash! Live music acts during the night included the headliners, Dub Pistols (pictured) along with Al Moses, Future Sailors, The Special Brew, Powder Smile and 2 Rude. The night raised an amazi...
read storyNO MORE NIGHT TIME TERRORS THANKS TO CHARITY’S EMERGENCY SERVICE
When three-year-old Lilly Pickard-Sykes wakes in the middle of the night she repeatedly bangs her head and gets her arms and legs stuck between the bars of her cot bed, leaving her bruised and at serious risk of injury. Lilly, from the Mackworth area of Derby, has severe developmental delay and no a...
read storyIT FIRM’S FABULOUS FUNDRAISING CHANGES LIVES
Staff at a Stourport-on-Severn business have been putting the fun into fundraising to help change the lives of disabled children across Worcestershire. OGL Computer, which provides business software, IT solutions and cyber security solutions to UK businesses, raised almost £4,500 for their 2017 cha...
read storyCHESTER’S CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP
Twelve-year-old Daniel Hall needs a specialist buggy so he can leave the house in safety. Daniel is deaf and partially sighted – he can’t walk far and relies on his buggy to get out of the house. But when he outgrew his buggy, the replacement wheelchair provided by his local statutory services, ...
read storyMARATHON EFFORT FROM RETIRED RUGELEY COUPLE
A retired Rugeley couple are putting their best foot forward to complete a marathon this January, all in aid of helping local disabled children receive the life changing equipment they desperately need. Wendy and Dave Barnsley have signed up to Newlife Active, the latest fundraising campaign launche...
read storyLOCAL CHOIRS GET IN THE FESTIVE SPIRIT AT THE MARRIOT
A Christmas Choir Concert at the Forest of Arden Marriott on the 17 December has raised £1,493. Magic Voices from Solihull, Magic Voices from Sutton Coldfield and Venus Voices from Leamington Spa came together to put on a magical evening of show tunes and Christmas favourites. The concert was supp...
read storySPECIALIST BED TO KEEP CHICHESTER TEEN SAFE – WHEREVER SHE IS
When 18-year-old Megan Cooper from Chichester is admitted to hospital she has to sleep on a mattress on the floor or in a chair. Despite the great care Megan receives from dedicated nurses, often their hands are tied when it comes to providing a safe place for Megan to sleep. To help, Megan’s mum,...
read story
Related Information
Latest Newlife News
We work together every day to make a difference and create a better future for disabled children.
Local Children Helped
Volunteer Hours This Week
Research Grants
Today we need to find: £434,193
So we can help:
425 Children
425 Children